On Sunday 14 December Lucy, Mette and I took the Rottnest Express ferry from C Shed, Fremantle to Rottnest Island (or Rotto, as it is colloquially known). The 30 minute journey ($53 per adult, same day return) docked at Thomson Bay, adjacent to the main island centre, Settlement.

 

Getting to the Fremantle ferry terminal early in the morning was an adventure in itself. I ran and walked the 3+km from Yokine to Glendalough train station before catching 2 trains to Fremantle where I met Lucy and Mette.

 

The hot weather did not encourage long hikes and we walked around a small proportion of Rottnest, from Settlement to Little Parakeet Bay for a swim and back.

 

 

A Pelican resting on a light pole near the Thomson Bay jetty

 

 

Yachts departing Little Parakeet Bay with the City of Perth skyscrapers in the background

 

 

A seagull in the foreground and bathers and boaters in the photo’s background, Little Parakeet Bay

 

 

A juvenile crab, Little Parakeet Bay

 

Several juvenile crabs entertained us around 2 rocks in the area we went swimming.

 

 

Ducks relaxing in the midday sun, Lake Baghdad

 

 

Yachts moored in Parakeet Bay

 

Every bay we saw was full of yachts visiting Rottnest on a day trip from Perth.

 

 

A rat quokka at Geordie Bay Cafe pestering us 🙂

 

The Quokkas make it easy to see why Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh named the island Rat’s Nest (Rottenest in Dutch). The Quokka is in fact not a rat but a macropod, related to kangaroos and wallabies.

 

 

Mother and baby Quokkas sheltering from the hot afternoon sun

 

 

On the Rottnest Express ferry back to Fremantle

 

I would like to return to Rotto for a few days camping and hiking in the off season when the weather is cooler and there are less people. The island has a varied history and it would be a great place to relax and get away from the city.